PH2 ridden: 2012 Kawasaki Versys 1000

Kawasaki's Versys 1000 leaves PH2 wondering if sports tourers are a thing of the past...

Another day, another adventure bike - it seems as if there is no stopping these on/off road bikes at the moment. But with its new Versys 1000, Kawasaki has taken a different path.

Traditionally, big capacity adventure bikes are twins. We are talking the benchmark BMW GS, Honda's oddly named Varadero, Suzuki's even more oddly named V-Strom, Ducati's Multistrada, Aprilia's Caponord, Buell's Ulysses, KTM's SMT and Adventure; the list goes on. Apart from the oddball Benelli Tre-K triple, two pots was par for the course should you wish to circumnavigate the world. However 2012 has seen this change.

Versys almost covers trad sports tourer role

Honda unveiled the V4 Crosstourer, Triumph the triple Explorer and Kawasaki the inline four Versys 1000. Both Japanese companies will certainly claim various benefits of motors that aren't twins, but the truth is that they are simply making the most of existing motors to save costs rather than develop a new twin - and who can blame them for that?

First impressionsThere is no denying the Versys is a strange-looking old fruit. The insipid brown colour does it no favours at all (the white one looks much better) while the face is an odd thing that reminds us of a Dr Who baddie. By using a trellis subframe, Kawasaki has tried to make it look a bit rugged, but it doesn't quite work. With 17-inch wheels and road tyres this is no adventure bike as such; it is much more akin to a big supermoto.

Odd name, intriguing bike

Good vibrations?Sitting on the Versys it is very much traditional adventure bike. The bars are wide (although the top yoke seems miles away, which is odd) and the seat is deeply padded. We like the fact the bike has a relatively low seat height of 845mm; with a 21-litre fuel capacity the danger of low speed drops due to the weight tipping a bit too far are high. Anyone who has ridden a fully fuelled GS Adventure will be more than aware of how quickly the weight of all that fuel can catch you out at low speed, but even when fully fuelled the Versys lacks this top-heavy feel.

There are problems aside from the odd looks, however. There is clearly a space for a power socket; it is marked in the plastic, so why isn't there a socket in there? Adventure bikes require such things as standard and not putting one in is just tight-fisted. And the dark red backing to the rev counter is unnecessary - nothing else on the bike is red so why are the clocks?

Lack of power socket irritates

Niggles aside, as soon as you push the starter the Versys feels odd. It is a weird feeling to sit on an adventure bike that isn't vibrating due to the twin-cylinder motor. The inline four Kawasaki is super smooth and ticks over without the hint of a vibration, but it's not what you expect to feel in a bike of this style.

On the roadGet over the lack of 'character vibrations' and the inline motor is a beauty. Inline fours usually require revs, but the 1,043cc engine is stacked full of grunt and despite the 10,000rpm redline I found myself hardly ever bothering to go above 6,000rpm. You can sit on the motorway at 80mph at 5,000rpm with no worry at all and simply roll on the throttle to overtake. Through towns I only dropped one or two gears at most for 30mph limits and unlike twins, which get very upset when the revs drop too low, the Versys's inline four shrugs off low revs without a stutter. As you would expect from a Japanese bike the gearbox is slick, the fuel injection spot-on and the clutch nice and light.

Why the red revcounter?

My first proper trip on the Versys was a 200-mile round trip to Grimsby and back. Naturally, it was raining. Sitting on the A1, the Versys devoured the miles with the fuel gauge hardly wavering. It wasn't until I passed 120 miles on the return trip that the first bar dropped and the reserve light didn't make an appearance until 190 miles - so that's around 55mpg, which isn't bad. Kawasaki has fitted the Versys with its 'eco mode' thingy, which helps improve fuel economy, mainly as on dull rides trying to get the 'eco' display showing is quite entertaining...

Comfort was also very good. We have no grumbles over the seat or riding position although the screen, which is adjustable, could possibly be a little larger.

Is that a dry road?It is quite a rare sight lately, but one day this week I did manage to actually ride the Versys on a relatively dry road. During some enthusiastic riding I was once again really impressed. As it has 17-inch wheels and not odd-sized adventure ones (which in my book makes it a big supermoto) the Versys can handle the corners. The suspension is firm enough to allow you to brake hard and corner without too much pitching, while the ABS and traction control don't seem to get in the way.

A rare moment of dry weather

After a week with the Kawasaki we werer left wondering if sports tourers have any place in the modern motorcycle market. The Versys is more comfortable, better for a pillion and more adept at carrying luggage than a sports tourer and, while it may not be quite as sporty, there isn't much in it when it comes to spirited riding. If we had the choice we'd certainly buy a practical big supermoto such as a Versys, SMT or Multistrada over a sports tourer such as the Sprint ST or VFR800.

Where does the Versys fit into the big supermoto/adventure bike market? Pretty high up. Against the sporty vehicles it's not as good as the Multistrada or barking as the SMT, but it is far cheaper than the Ducati and a better all-rounder than the KTM. Compared to the adventure bikes it simply isn't designed for off-road use, so world explorers can forget it, but it handles better than the Explorer and BMW thanks to its wheel sizes, it just lacks the rugged look or image.

If you like the quirky look and want a day to day sports tourer that is great with a pillion and excellent fun in the corners then take a Versys 1000 for a test ride - it certainly surprised us.

I've heard various comments about this Versys thou. Many of them not particularly complimentary. I was sort of disappointed that "Big K" had gone down the IL4 route for this derivative of the Versys as I had an ER6n (the originator of the Versys 650 concept) from new & was impressed with it as a fun punchy good handling bike. The only thing I thought it lacked was more cc's & had a wish list that they produced e.g. a 900 twin version.

Hence it seemed a shame when the 1 litre 4 pot came out sporting the same concept. I still think a naked "ER9n" commuter/fun bike (not in Versys-style) would make an interesting road tool. I guess I got the parallel twin bug.

Prof Prolapse12 Jul 2012

As above I'm surprised of the neutral opinion. It's got a bit of a kicking from a lot of reviewers. Hardly suprising given its tough competition I suppose.

Lets be honest though, it does have a face like a melted welly.

dapearson12 Jul 2012

In white it looks like it's made from left over storm trooper costumes.

I like it. It would fit my dual carriageway commuting role nicely!

Personally i don't like the vibes of v-twins on long distances. I used to use an SV650 for my commute and it used to leave me "tingly" after 20-30 miles. I'd still have a V, but it would have to be as a toy like a ducati monster or similar.

You just can't beat the flexibility of a large capacity IL4.

jackh70712 Jul 2012

I have the 650, and test road the 1000 yesterday. My personal opinion having actually ridden is that it is one hell of bike.

HandlingIt's heavy on paper, but as cliche as it sounds it feels like it weights nothing when rolling, straight on it out of the narrow car park, I had both feet up going round a corner at 2mph, its a doddle to ride. I then filtered through rush hour traffic at no more than 30 mph, light easy clutch, comfy, easy to balance.Going round props bends at 50+ it is superb, tips into corners effortlessly, holds a line, easy to tighten, I doubted the pirelli scorpions, but they were excellent.Suspension if firm and sporty, not a lot of dive under braking for a tall bike, but at the same time quite supple and comfortable.

EngineA real gem, uber smooth and quiet tick over, instant arm wrenching grunt from low down revs (2500rpm), it would pull from below 2000 without snatching.A real torquey lump, and then around 6000 it cams on a bit and pulls very hard up to 9500. More engine than I would need on the road, but boy do I want it.

GearboxSmooth easy action, no false neutrals, its geared quite short 1-5 and then 6th is a bit longer for motorway work. I couldn't pin the throttle in 1st and 2nd all the way to the redline as the front would lift.

ComfortOkish screen,had to dip my head a bit to get it out of the wind, could do with being higher though i believe its adjustable.Seat was lovely, not too wide, nice comfy reach to the bars, felt like I could ride to germany and back without stopping kind of comfort.Standard high riding position looking over cars etc.

BrakesMore than I'd ever need, loads of feedback considering they are ABS and very strong.

Overall, I made the traction control kick in twice, when I was giving it ze beanz in 2nd. It was odd, and I'd probably switch it off if I had one. It felt like some kind of sportsbike/supermoto hilarious hybrid to me, I think it's an ugly bugger in the flesh but appeals in an odd way like an attractive girl with slightly crooked teeth or too large a nose would...The exhaust is hideous, at least its quiet.

Most similar bike Ive ridden being a Tiger1050, the Versys embarrasses it IMHO in every way apart from aesthetics, Engine and Handling being particularly good.

If I had the money, I'd probably have one, but put some good sports touring rubber on.